CASTLE: 08672241
by Midnite Solistace
Summary: One simple string of numbers shatters Castle's perfect life. 08672241. Now he has to find a way to go on without the woman he loves, and vows to take revenge, but he has to get through her funeral first. Set in the not so distant future...begins in 2016.
1. Regret

**AN:** This is something I've had floating around in my head for a while, but please note this is only going to be a side project until I finish my other Castle fic _A Solid Alibi_. But I do hope to knock that on the head since _Probable Cause_ has aired (how brilliant was it?)

Anyway please send me some love with this one as I'm putting my heart right in it, didn't take much though this practically wrote itself. If you love it review, if it makes you sad, review. xox

* * *

**08672241**

**Regret**

Alexis took a deep breath before walking into her Dad's office. She had no idea what she was going to say to him but knew she had to try none the less. She walked up behind him.

"Dad…..I've got your suit back from the dry cleaners. I'll just hang it here on the door." She paused and was met without a response. Castle's back was to his daughter, he was swivelled facing the wall in his office chair, a bottle of hard liquor sat half consumed on his desk. She tried again. "I picked out a tie for you; Kate always liked the purple one…"

"I'm not going." He cut her off with little emotion.

"….Dad…..you have to." She protested.

"I don't have to do anything. I just want to be alone right now; please."

Alexis could tell from his voice. He was broken. Lost. She didn't know how to help him and so she turned around and went back into the living room. Martha was sitting on the sofa with the phone to her ear; trying to tie up last minute details.

"Yes Jim; I know everybody is expecting him to give a eulogy but I just don't think it's going to happen. At this rate it will be a miracle to get him out of the house." Martha paused to listen to the response at the end of the phone before rebutting. "Of course he wants to be there; but sometimes what somebody wants and what somebody is capable of are two different things. Look Jim I can't begin to understand what you are going through right now but I can tell you one thing; nobody at the funeral this afternoon is going to doubt how much my son loved your daughter. If Richard isn't up to being there than I'm sure people are going to understand. He's lost his wife for Christ sakes."

Alexis put her arms around her grandmother's shoulders for comfort. Martha said goodbye to Mr Beckett and told him that she would see him at the service. Martha sighed and hugged Alexis. "How is he?"

"Dad's not coming. He's gone through half a bottle of scotch." Alexis was worried.

"Oh boy. I'm sorry to say I'm not going to push your father on this one. I don't think it will help."

"If Dad doesn't go today he'll regret it for the rest of his life."

"I know he will. He just needs some more time."

* * *

An hour later there was a knock on the door. Martha opened it to find Kevin and Jenny Ryan on the other side looking very sombre.

"Hello Detective. Jenny." Martha greeted them.

"Hello Mrs Rodgers," Kevin began. "We just thought we'd stop by, see if we could give anyone a ride to the service. We hadn't heard from Castle."

Martha sighed. "It's just myself and Alexis I'm afraid. Richard won't be coming."

The Detective looked stunned; as much as he tried to hide his surprise. "But…"

"We know. Thank you very much for the offer but we'll make our own way. We'll be leaving in half and hour with or without him. Alexis is in there now trying to convince him to put his suit on; but you know how stubborn my son can be."

"I can't imagine what he's feeling right now." Jenny put her hand on her husband's arm in support.

He smiled at his wife. "I know. We're all hurting but; geez it was only a couple of months ago we were watching them get married. It's not fair."

Kevin and Jenny left the loft and made their way to the cemetery. It didn't take long for him to find Esposito and when he had asked why Castle wasn't with them it only took twenty minutes for there to be another knock on the door of Castle's loft. This time was different; it was a pounding; urgent knock.

Martha rushed over and opened it and Esposito didn't wait for an invitation to step inside. Lanie was behind him trying to calm him down.

"Where's Castle?"

Martha put her hand on one hip. "He's not coming; Detective. Alexis and I are just about to leave as well; perhaps we can all go together?"

"No; screw that. He can't miss this." Javier marched over to the door of Castle's office.

"Don't you think we've tried to tell him that?" Martha exasperated.

"Javier!" Lanie was quick behind him.

"Castle you get your sorry ass out of that chair right now."

"I'm not going." Castle response was the same as he had told his daughter hours before.

"Like hell you're not." Javi swivelled the chair around to face the rest of them. Castle looked like shit. Worse than that.

"This is how you honour Beckett's life? By drinking in this chair, feeling sorry for yourself? She deserves better than this. What about the eulogy huh? The big fancy writer hasn't got anything to say about the woman he loves? Kate deserves better." He repeated.

"Javi; that's enough!" Lanie's voice was firm this time. "It's time to go or we'll miss it ourselves." She pushed Esposito towards the door ignoring his comments of "_this is such bullshit!_" Lanie turned back to Martha and Alexis. "We'll see the two of you down there. I'm sorry about him. Oh and Castle….I'm sorry. Kate was so lucky to have you in her life. Don't be a stranger at the precinct; you hear me?"

Castle kept staring at the wall so Lanie showed herself out.

Martha gave it one last shot before it was time to leave. "Alright kiddo; it's now or never."

"Apologise to Jim for me; tell him I'll send some flowers or something." Was all Castle could manage.

"Did you manage to write anything for the eulogy? If you like I could read it on your behalf. You don't have to be there." She pressed gently.

"Thank you Mother." Castle slid his notebook across the desk to her. "It's all in there."

"I'll do her justice; don't worry."

Alexis gave her father a hug and kiss before they left. "We'll see you soon ok."

* * *

Detective Kate Beckett had a full military procession with honours. Javier, Kevin and Gates helped to carry the casket from the hearse. A flag was folded and handed over to Jim Beckett; who later stood and gave a moving eulogy and told of how Katie's life revolved around finding justice for those who could not find it for themselves. How she never gave up the good fight; right up until the end; and how she would never be forgotten.

When it came time for Castle's eulogy everybody looked around noting his absence. Martha stood up and solemnly took the podium.

"A mother's one wish on this earth is to see her children be happy in life with the choices that they make. I couldn't have wished for a better daughter-in-law. She made my son happier than I ever thought possible. On Richard's behalf I'd like to say a few words, these are his words; that he's prepared.

'_Kate; I know people are expecting me to come out with some grand speech telling about how you were such an amazing person. The truth is that for once in my life I am at a loss for words. Anyone that had the privilege of crossing your path knows how amazing you are. In my life I have been rich; I have been famous. But all of that meant nothing when I met you. You made me whole. You gave my life a new meaning. I felt like the luckiest man in the world when you agreed to be my wife. People often say that you're supposed to marry your best friend. I finally got it right the third time_."

The crowd began to murmur and Martha looked up from the notebook in front of her. Castle had gotten dressed into his suit and tie; Beckett's favourite; and was approaching the podium. She waited for him to stand next to her before handing over the book.

Castle took a deep breath before shakily speaking into the microphone. "My only regret is that we didn't have more time together. We were waiting to make the big announcement until you had cleared the first trimester; I will never forget the joy on your face when you told me you were pregnant. That we were having a baby together. You were an incredible partner, girlfriend, step-mother and wife, if only briefly. You would have made a wonderful mother. You were a loyal friend and remarkable Police Detective. Your spark and fiery determination was something we all loved about you. I think I speak for everyone at the 12th when I say that a day won't go by without us thinking about how much we miss you. You're my whole world Kate; and I love you; always."

Castle paused to lay his hand on the casket for a moment before stepping down from the podium. He walked back to the front row to take a seat next to his mother and daughter. He brushed past Kate's father who put a hand on his shoulder and said "Well done; Son."

After the service everyone filtered out of the cemetery to head off to the reception; a few drinks at the Old Haunt. Castle insisted on staying at the cemetery a while after assuring his family that he was going to be alright. He stayed sitting next to her burial plot until it got dark, crying until there were no tears left. Castle wasn't sure how he was going to come out the other side; but he also knew that one way or another; he wasn't going to let the bastards responsible get away with her murder.


	2. Co-Incidence

**AN: **Please excuse both the long wait and any spelling/grammar/typing errors that may follow. My laptop hard drive failed and I had to wait a week for a new one. I don't have Word running yet on my new hard drive, I lost my initial attempt at this chap due to a crash and this one I wrote using Fanfic's document editor. As I typed it kept jumping my cursor all over the page so I hope this reads ok.

* * *

**08672241**

**Co-Incidence**

Over the next few days Castle struggled to keep it together. He wouldn't sleep, and continued to drink heavily. Martha would often find him up at all hours of the night claiming that every time he closed his eyes he would see her face on the night she died. He didn't want to lie down in his bed because it still smelt like her.

He couldn't bring himself to go back to the precinct, so Ryan and Esposito would come to his apartment to work on her case. Esposito warned Castle that the chances of closing this case were next to nothing. Their hands were tied, they knew that Bracken was responsible, but all the evidence was circumstantial. It was their words against his. All of the hard evidence had been destroyed and all of the people who knew the truth had been murdered. The part that hurt the most was that Beckett had kept her end of the bargain. She had stayed right away from her mothers case for a long time now, put it behind her. But now that Bracken was running for President he didn't want to take any chances. Kate had died in his arms.

* * *

When she didn't come home from work one night, Castle knew something was wrong. Her car had been run off of the road. She had tried to call him but it had gone straight to voicemail. Castle's blood ran cold as he dialled into his messagebank. Kate had had her phone in her pocket and had let the message run to give them some idea that she was in trouble.

"My employer only wants to ask you some questions. As long as we have your full co-operation you have nothing to fear."

"I hope you realise you've kidnapped a police detective of the NYPD. You can tell William Bracken that if anything happens to me that my people will bury you." Kate threatened.

This was all that the message recorded. Castle drove straight to the 12th, calling Esposito and Ryan on the way telling them that Beckett was in trouble and needed their help. Gates was called in too. He played them the voicemail message and they managed to run a trace of where her phone was at the time she had made the call. She was in a car travelling to the outskirts of the city.

"Senator William Bracken? The same man who is making a run for the Presidency this election?" Gates asked and the men nodded. "You all need to come clean with me right now. What's this all about?"

"There really is no time..." Castle protested.

"Make time. I need to know all of the facts here." She pressed.

The three boys all shared a look between them that did not go un-noticed by Gates. "Is this about Captain Montgomery? I know something went down between all of you but do you really need to ask yourselves if his memory is worth risking Beckett's life for?"

Castle sighed. "Montgomery was involved in a conspiracy that resulted in the murder of Kate's mother."

"He helped frame a mobster for the death of an undercover FBI agent and when Johanna Beckett, a lawyer, uncovered the truth while building a case to represent him in court she was silenced." Ryan added.

Esposito finished it off. "Montgomery and two other bent cops were holding mobsters for ransom and when it all went haywire; a then assistant D.A William Bracken blackmailed them in return for the money from the kidnappings and used it to payroll his first electoral campaign."

"As we investigated her mother's murder, the conspiracy began to unravel and anyone who knew the truth showed up dead. Kate's the only loose end left." Castle explained.

"So why has the Senator never been implicated?" Gates asked.

"The cops buried the case so deep to cover their own backs, falsified documents, but when Beckett stumbled upon the hitman who killed her mom she shot him while he held a gun to Castle's head." Esposito replied.

"Dick Coonan; yes I read that particular incident report." Gates told them.

"Well Bracken noticed when Coonan was killed." Castle continued. "Ordered hits on everyone involved. Every person who could testify is dead and all of the documents used for blackmail have been destroyed."

"Bracken is untouchable." Gates concluded. "All we have so far is speculation, the only way to get this guy is a confession."

"What do we use to obtain an arrest warrant?" Ryan asked.

"Kidnapping of a NYPD Detective." Gates answered.

"This is all very well and good, but we still don't know where they have her." Castle was frustrated.

They tried calling Beckett's phone again only this time when it answered, her phone sounded far away from her, like it was on a table perhaps. The phone call was very hard to listen to, especially for Castle.

"You're finished Bracken. You kill me and my people will release the evidence we have on you into the public eye. Your career will be over. We have the money trail that connects you to all of those mob kidnappings; the money you used to finance your first campaign. We can nail you for electoral fraud to begin with...conspiracy to commit murder will fall into place aswell. I'm not afraid of you and the fact that you're here in person means that you are. You are very afraid of what I know...and what I can prove."

"Those are fighting words Detective Beckett. Let's see if your as brave once the night is out." The man on the phone wasn't Bracken, just another hitman perhaps.

Beckett started screaming, it was clear that she was being beaten, and from the sound it made against her skin it sounded heavy like a metal pipe. The phone hung up then, but the duration of the call was long enough to run a trace. He had her at a series of warehouse buildings on the lower west side, but they couldn't pinpoint exactly which one.

"We've got Bracken, this phone call proves he was there." Castle said.

"It proves nothing, he's didn't speak. He's a smart man. What is his game; answering our phone call?" Gates asked.

Esposito crossed his arms. "It's almost like he want's us to look for her, he's playing with us. Dangling her in front of us but still out of reach."

"So where do we start looking, there's too many warehouses, while we check them all Beckett's running out of time." Ryan was worried now.

"Somewhere on the lower west side." Esposito thought out loud. They had a map of the area pulled up on an electronic screen.

"The lower west side...that can't be a co-incidence." Castle said.

"What are you thinking Bro?"

"Johanna Beckett's body was found in an alleyway in the lower west side, the same alley where Bob Armen was killed years before. If he's going to have Kate killed he'll dump her in that same alley."

"But that will create a link between the murders of Bob Armen, Johanna Beckett, and hypothetically Kate Beckett. He'll implicate himself." Ryan snowballed.

"No, it won't, the cops investigating Kate's murder will come to the same dead-end conclusions that we have. It will be for nothing except dramatic effect, we need to catch him in the act." Castle said. "There is one warehouse that backs onto that alley."

Esposito sprung into action. "Let's roll."

* * *

They reached the buildings within the hour all wearing bullet-proof vests and all carrying weapons, except of course for Castle. A full tactical force squad was in tow. They were sparing no expense at getting Beckett out. There were armed men around the perimeter of the warehouse but they didn't wear uniforms. They were hired thugs. A shootout followed and the NYPD moved inside. There were hallways that lead to doors, doors that lead to hallways. Looking for Beckett was like looking for a needle in a haystack. They came across a large roller door which Castle tried to lift only to find it was welded shut. The noise he made was more than enough to draw attention though.

"Somebody help me..." Beckett's voice came from beyond the door.

"Kate, is that you?"

"Castle...I'm in here please!" She begged.

The team ran down a number of passageways frantically trying to find their way to the other side of the roller door. They burst into the room to find a man standing over Beckett, knife in hand. It wasn't Bracken, he was long gone. The man ran out the other side of the room with Esposito straight after him. Castle ran over to Beckett who was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Her skin was bruised heavily and it looked like she may have had bones broken.

"Everything's going to be ok, I promise, we've got you now..." He tried to lift her until he realised she was holding her side where she had been stabbed multiple times; blood spilling out from between her fingers.

"Castle..." She moaned. She was coughing as blood gathered at the corner of her lips.

He tried to hide his panic and shock at the extent of her injuries. "Shhh...there's an ambulance outside, it's going to be ok."

"Rick..." The use of his first name caught his attention. "I love you..."

"No Kate, don't you dare say your goodbyes this isn't over. Just hold on..." He kissed the top of her head.

"Just hold me..." Kate was so happy to see him one last time.

"Everything's going to be alright, I promise." He was crying now, he knew it was over; there was nothing he could do.

"I wish...that you could take me someplace safe, like you always wanted to. Where they can't find me." She whispered.

He looked at her for a moment, feeling a strange sense of de-ja-vu, before smiling at her, trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

"Kate, I love you, please...just hold on, Kate...I love you so much...I always will." He held her tight as she turned cold, stroking her face with one hand. She was smiling when she closed her eyes for the last time.

* * *

Esposito ran back into the room empty handed, swearing about how the bastard had gotten away. He looked over at Beckett and Castle and realised they were too late.

"Shit..." He started pacing around in circles before exclaiming again "Shit!" Kevin put his arm on Javi's shoulder and they pulled each other into a hug, holding one another upright.

Even Gates was tearing up. She wasn't sure how to approach Castle so she did so carefully.

"Mr Castle...the paramedics are here to take her."

Castle didn't move; he just wanted to hold her. "No." Was all he could manage.

Gates looked back at the boys for ideas and so Ryan tried his luck.

"Castle, she's gone, you've got to let her go." He helped Castle up off the floor and he collapsed into Ryan for a hug.

"Shit...Ryan...she's gone...she's..."

"I know, buddy I know." He tried to comfort his friend the best he could. Ryan and Esposito sat Castle down outside while they watched her body being loaded into the ambulance.

Javi grabbed his phone."I've gotta call Lanie; she's working tonight. She can't find out by Beckett hitting her slab. Perlmutter will have to take this one."

That was all Castle remembered from that night. The rest passed by in a blur. Now he sat up late at night thinking about how they were too late to save her. He finished his latest bottle of scotch before settling down on his sofa for the night, waiting for the sleep that would continue to elude him.


	3. Everyday

**AN:** I recently introduced a friend to _Castle_ and went back to watch the first couple of episodes from Season One. My how our favourite show has grown since then. It reminded me why I fell in love with it. Please enjoy this chapter, keeping in mind I am not from the US I have little knowledge of US Politics or Politics in general so please go easy on me if its not quite right. Please enjoy and flick me a review if you did. :-D

* * *

**08672241**

**Everyday**

Castle launched upright from his sleep on the couch in a cold sweat. He had had another dream about her. It was seven am and his back was killing him. He had to stop sleeping on the couch. He decided to shower this morning, maybe cook some breakfast. He stood under the water for an hour, and then once he dressed himself in clothes that didn't match he stood in his kitchen, trying to find the frypan. He got the eggs and milk out of the fridge to make pancakes but froze when he realised that Kate had made them for him on the morning that she died. He watched the pancake batter swirl around the pan but couldn't function enough to flip it. He watched mesmerized as the batter burned and stuck to the surface. Maybe it would catch fire if he waited long enough and oddly he was curious to find out. He stood in the kitchen staring for who knows how long until Martha burst through the door.

"What is that god-awful smell?" She rushed over to the kitchen and took the pan off of the stove-top. "Richard, what are you doing?"

"I was making pancakes. Kate would make me pancakes all the time."

"Oh darling...this will get easier." She turned the element off. "I've also decided that I'm moving back in here. With Alexis still in college; you can't be by yourself." Martha had moved out of the loft when Beckett had moved in. The newlyweds intended on buying something larger once they found out they were expecting.

"Thank you mother." He kissed her on the cheek.

Martha got herself settled back in, in little time at all. At nine am there was a knock on the door.

Rick was surprised to find Victoria Gates on the other side. He welcomed her in.

"Mr Castle, I do hope I'm not intruding at an in-convieniant time."

"Not at all, but I am a little surprised."

"How are you?"

"As good as can be expected. Have you caught the man who murdered my wife yet?"

Gates exhaled carefully. "We have the man Esposito chased out of the warehouse, that was easy enough. Unfortunately he was only a hired thug. William Bracken is still untouchable."

"You've questioned him?"

"Of course. You're voicemail message places him at the scene even if he doesn't speak, that was grounds for questioning."

"And?"

"And he denies any involvement; that this is one big misunderstanding."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Mr Castle, you've been consulting on cases long enough to know how this works. My hands are tied. If we pursue Bracken without proof then it's harrassment. He'll sue the city."

He threw his hands into the air. "And thats that. This dies with her."

"I'm very sorry." Her voice was sincere.

"I guess I know who I'm voting for on election day."

"Mr Castle I did want to speak with you about something else. Have you ever thought about witness protection? If Bracken believes that you know the truth you are not safe."

Castle laughed. "I'm a famous novelist; I can't go into hiding. Bracken's already taken the woman I love from me; I'm not going to let him take my life aswell. Look; I appreciate the concern, but if he came after me; he'd have to come after Ryan and Esposito aswell."

"They are trained police officers, with protection at their disposal. You are not."

"Kate had the entire NYPD at her disposal and look at how much good that did her." He raised his voice for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Thanks, but no thanks. Now unless there was anything else? I need to get back to picking up the pieces of what's left of my life."

* * *

Castle found himself in the bullpen at the 12th later that afternoon. All eyes were on him, most of them sympathetic ones. People were often too afraid of saying the wrong thing in these situations that they would say nothing. He sat down at Esposito's desk.

"Hey Castle, what brings you here?"

"I'd like to see the autopsy report. I assume it came back from Perlmutter."

"Bro...that's not a good idea."

"Do you have it?"

"It came back to us right before the funeral. But it's not pretty. Once you read it...you can't go back from that."

"Please...Javi, I need to know what he did to her."

Esposito wouldn't budge.

"Have you read it?" Castle asked.

Javier nodded.

"If our situations were reversed you would want to read it...what if it had been Lanie he had murdered? Or Jenny?" He looked across at Ryan.

Esposito replied. "Castle. Look, I'm doing this because I'm your friend. I'm not letting you read it."

Castle opened his mouth to protest again but Esposito cut him off. "Multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. One straight into the kidney."

"Javi." Kevin warned him he was crossing a line, but he continued.

"Five broken ribs. She had water on her lungs...that means she was put through water torture. Extreme blood loss, enough that if you were to try and put that back in she would need multiple blood tranfusions."

"Javier! That's enough." Kevin was firm this time.

"Look we get it. We know how much you loved her. We loved her too. There is no way that Bracken will get away with this, but there are channels we have to go through. It might take weeks from now it might take years from now; but we are not going to give up on her." Javi promised.

* * *

Castle slumped back to his loft wondering what he was supposed to do now, what would come next? He settled onto the sofa with a glass of wine and Martha took the opportunity to check up on her son.

"Come on kiddo, how are you?"

"I don't know. How do you move on from something like this?"

"One day at a time."

"Everybody's worried about me but the trouble is I don't know what I'm supposed to say, or how I'm supposed to act. Do I call Jim? He's lost his daughter. What do I say to him?"

"You do and say whatever you like darling. There are no expectations here. You are going to grieve, and then you can start to move foward."

Castle placed his wine glass on the coffee table. "Mother...Kate was...is the love of my life. I will always be in love with her. There's no moving foward from this."

Martha squeezed his hand.

"This is going to sound crazy but Gates put an idea into my head this morning when she came around. She spoke to me about witness protection, and it got me thinking, is this just a big cover up? Is Kate in hiding under the witness protection programme?"

"Richard..." Martha's tone was concerned.

"No, I know I'm grasping at straws but something Kate said to me, in the warehouse where we found her...it didn't make a lot of sense at the time but the more I think about it..."

"Darling, you can't think like this. It will be the end of you."

Castle was determined to get it all out. "She told me that she wished I could take her someplace safe, where they couldn't find her."

"That doesn't mean..."

"It was her choice of words. 'I wish.' I used the same words when I wanted to send her a message about where she could find me when Jerry Tyson was trying to frame me for murder."

"Those are some very short straws Richard. And even if by some miracle it were true, no-one is going to tell you that you're right. You will go mad by holding onto this." She kissed her son on the cheek before standing up. "I'm going to bed. Try and get some sleep tonight."

* * *

2015 came to a close and when the end of President Obama's second term came up in January 2017, all who knew the truth about the corrupt Presidential elect watched how events unfolded with eagerness. Bracken lost the race by a margin and Castle felt that at least there was a little bit of justice done. It took Rick a lot longer to write Heat number five, as his muse was gone but he owed it to the fans to give them an ending. As tempted as he was to pull a Derrick Storm and kill off Nikki Heat; Gina forbade it. She also reminded him that he had '_been there, done that_.' It would be too predictable. So Castle left the fate of Nikki Heat on a cliffhanger; hoping that one day he might come back to it, but for the foreseeable future she had been shelved.

When election time approached again, as it inevitably does, and Castle learnt the Bracken was going to run again he took matters into his own hands. In 2021 he published his first book since shelving his Heat series; titled "William Bracken, the unauthorized biography." He didn't hold back either, Castle indirectly pointed the finger, revealing all of the deaths Bracken had been responsible for; including Kate Beckett. Everyone at the precinct had tried to dissuade him but Castle did it anyway. Bracken's people denounced the book as _'lies'_ while Castle's aim was only to plant a seed of doubt in the minds of America's voters. Castle did receive a threatening phone call, as was to be expected; but took the opportunity to remind the voice on the other end of the phone that this was all out in the public eye now. If anything unfortunate were to happen to him or his family then it wouldn't take long for the public to put two and two together.

Despite Castle's best efforts; in January 2022, William H Bracken was elected to be America's forty-sixth President. In 2026 Bracken made it known that he would be running for a second term and it looked promising for him. The face he put on in public made it almost impossible to believe he was in charge of a conspiracy that had continued for over thirty years.

It had been ten years since that night in the warehouse. Castle thought about Kate every day and still wore his wedding ring. He had tried to date again but found his heart wasn't in it. He understood now why Jim had never re-married. A knock on his door one Saturday afternoon changed his life again. He opened it to find a remarkable young boy on the other side.

"Hello." He smiled at Castle. He certainly wasn't shy.

"Hello...can I help you?"

"Are you Mr Castle?"

"Yes that's me...what's your name?"

"Ricky; sir."

Castle smiled. This child's parents had a good taste in names.

"This is going to sound strange but have you lived in this building long?"

"Too long. Before you were born at least. What was it that you wanted?" Castle was certainly confused by this stage.

Ricky took a deep breath in. "You're my Dad; Mr Castle."


	4. Encouragement

**AN: **You know the drill. R&R it gives me warm fluffies. Warm fluffies help me write more often. I do have an excuse this time though, been back home in NZ for three weeks over Christmas. But better late than never right?

* * *

**08672241**

**Encouragement**

**2015**

Kate sighed heavily; leaning back at her desk. It had been a long day. She had just closed a case and was filing all the paperwork that went with it. It was now four-thirty and she was craving a coffee. She scolded herself as she was supposed to be cutting down now that she was drinking for two. She decided that it was time to go home. Ryan and Esposito were out working a fresh case; she would join them on it tomorrow. She said goodbye to Gates before heading downstairs to her car. She couldn't believe she was having a baby with Castle. Everything in her life was finally working out. She got into her car and checked her phone.

She smiled as she read a message from her husband.

"Hey beautiful, I've found the perfect house for our new family, can't wait to show you when you get home. Lay off the cravings, I'm cooking your favourite for dinner. C u tonight."

* * *

As Kate drove home she began to notice a dark vehicle following her. She thought perhaps she was paranoid so she tried to lose them by turning down some side streets. Kate thought it had worked as she found herself alone on the outerskirts of town. She exhaled deeply and decided to pull over and switch the car off for a moment; just to be sure. It was at that moment that the dark vehicle slammed into the side of Kate's car, shunting it across the road and into a ditch. Her head slammed into the steering wheel. She groaned and tried to sit up. Kate could feel the wetness in her hair and began to taste the blood as it ran down the side of her head to her lips. Before she had a chance to think four men broke into the wreckage of her car and lifted her out. They all wore masks and dark clothing. Trying to remain calm was near impossible; even with her many years of police training. They all carried guns; heavy duty ones at that. If they wanted her dead it would be done in an instant. Kate was forced into the back seat of a car alongside the four men. She shook the hair out of her face and cut straight to business.

"What do you want?" She slipped her hand into her coat pocket and prayed she could work her phone without looking at the screen. The men didn't respond.

"What is this about?" She tried again, voice firmer this time. Her phone still had Castle's text open on it so she hit the call button. The men remained silent. A man in the front passengers seat turned and spoke.

"My employer only wants to ask you some questions. As long as we have your full co-operation you have nothing to fear."

"I hope you realise you've kidnapped a police detective of the NYPD. You can tell William Bracken that if anything happens to me that my people will bury you." Kate threatened.

The man in the front smiled. "Well we can't have that." He signalled to the others who knocked Kate out cold.

When she woke she was tied to a chair. She immediatly tried to wriggle but there was no budging. She was locked down tight. She looked around, the room was dark. She was unsure if she was alone or not, but she decided to go with the former. Kate tried desperately to reach for her coat pocket; it was futile.

"Looking for this?" A shadow spoke from a chair just deep enough into the shadows that Beckett couldn't see them; but she recognised the voice. It was Bracken. He held her cell phone and hit a button so that the screen lit up in the darkness. "I couldn't have you making any more calls to your boyfriend now could I? Oh wait...its husband now isn't it? I suppose congratulations are in order."

"What do you want?"

"Ms Beckett; I simply want to clear up this mess quickly so that we can all go home. It is information I seek; information that you have. You give me that information; you get to return home unharmed. It will be like none of this ever happened; your husband will have his wife back. Or perhaps I should have questioned him...Mr Castle; wasn't it? I suppose that can still be arranged."

"You hurt him and I will kill you." Kate spat quickly. "Castle has nothing to do with any of this."

"Now now; there is no reason we can't do this cordially."

"We had a deal."

"And I'm afraid that deal has outlived it's usefulness. You see; when I become President I can't have this come into the spotlight."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you had my mom killed."

"Zero, Eight, Six, Seven, Two, Two, Four, One. The file; Ms Beckett, where is it?"

"Go to hell."

"When my assistants here are encouraging you; I hope you remember that I tried to be civil." Bracken stood up and left the room.

Beckett couldn't tell where he went but assumed he had gone somewhere to watch. The encouragement came hard and fast. They began by braking her left leg. The beating then moved to her chest, she closed her eyes when she felt the ribs shatter. She was crying now because she knew she was going to die. There was no way out of this; there was no file. Would they go after Castle next? Or Ryan? Or Esposito? Her Dad? Lanie? Alexis? Martha? Two hours passed; the men would question her, and when they didn't hear the answers they wanted they would beat her some more. They were very good at this; prolonging the beatings long enough so that she wouldn't pass out; perhaps she wouldn't die; not until they wanted her to. The water torture came next. Somewhere in the middle of the icy water Kate gave up. She let go; hoping death would take her then. But it didn't. Her captors made sure of it. Three hours passed and as Kate tried so hard to pass out Bracken slapped her across the face.

"I do apologise for the rude awakening but...there are some friends of yours desperately trying to get hold of you. Shall we take their call?" Bracken dangled her phone in front of her so she could see that it was Castle calling. He walked back to his chair and placed the phone onto the table next to him before answering the call. This was her one chance. If she was going to die she was going to bring Bracken down with her. Kate knew she had to implicate him and she hoped like hell Castle was at the precinct by now and her team were recording his phone.

"You're finished Bracken. You kill me and my people will release the evidence we have on you into the public eye. Your career will be over. We have the money trail that connects you to all of those mob kidnappings; the money you used to finance your first campaign. We can nail you for electoral fraud to begin with...conspiracy to commit murder will fall into place aswell. I'm not afraid of you and the fact that you're here in person means that you are. You are very afraid of what I know...and what I can prove."

To her despair Bracken remained silent. A different man approached holding a metal pipe. "Those are fighting words Detective Beckett. Let's see if your as brave once the night is out."

Kate screamed as he beat her. This time it was only a few hits. Bracken had hung up her phone.

"That should have been long enough for them to run a trace."

Kate looked at her captor; confused as to why he would let the police track their location.

"Believe it or not Ms Beckett but I am somewhat of a romantic. By the time your team get here your life will be drawing to a close. I am not adverse to allowing your husband the privilege of seeing you one last time. Of course it will be too late for you...but I guess that's the way it has to be."

* * *

**2026**

"I'm sorry what?" Castle blinked a few times; dumbfounded at this child on his doorstep.

"You didn't know about me; did you?" This was a very upfront child.

"How old are you Ricky?" Castle's head was spinning. His name was Ricky.

"I'll be ten in a few months."

"You'd better come inside." Rick opened the door. "Does your Mother know you're here?"

"No..."

"What do you mean no? You can't just run off; it's dangerous."

"You don't understand...Mom...doesn't want me to know about you."

Castle's head was racing. He tried to think who he could have impregnated...ten years...this didn't make any sense. He sat the boy down on the sofa and tried to brake this to him as gently as possible.

"Look; Ricky, I think there's been some kind of mistake."

The boy shook his head in protest. "I knew you wouldn't believe me, so I brought you this." He pulled a piece of paper from his backpack. "It's my birth certificate. I had homework from school. I had to write about someone that I wanted to meet; if I could choose anyone. I wanted to meet my dad. But I didn't even know your name and Mom told me I wasn't allowed to know. But I found this hidden away where she keeps important stuff. She thinks I don't know where she hides things." Ricky explained away as Castle stared at the paper in disbelief.

* * *

**_Richard Alexander Rodgers_**

**_Born To_**

**_Nikki Katherine Rodgers and Richard Edgar Castle_**

**_On the 21st day of March 2016_**

* * *

Nikki Rodgers...Castle was utterly confused. That name was too co-incidental to be real. It couldn't be. Castle didn't have to think it over for much longer as the boy's mobile began to ring.

"You have a cell phone? You're ten years old!" He exclaimed.

"Mom says it's for my own protection. She says she always needs to be able to get hold of me. This is her now...oh boy am I in trouble." He answered. "Hello...Mom; it's ok calm down...I can't tell you where I am but I'm ok, I promise."

Castle was motioning with his hands that he wanted to speak to the woman on the other end of the phone.

"Mom look; there's someone here you need to talk to." Ricky thrust the phone up at his father lighting fast before she had a chance to protest, or hang up.

Castle took a breath. He could hear a woman's voice coming through the receiver. "Richard Alexander Rogers you are in so much trouble when I get my hands on you." The voice was unmistakable. He could never forget that voice. Castle froze. He didn't know what to say. She snapped him out of his silence. "Hello? Is anybody there? Ricky?!"

"...Kate?" He breathed into the phone. Time stopped. He didn't want to know the answer in case it was the wrong one. But he was sure.

"Who is this?" She asked, there was concern and fright in her voice, she was worried about her son...their son.

"It's me." He offered.

"Castle?" Her breath hitched in her throat.

Castle hung up the phone. He was in shock. He sat back down on the sofa. He tried to let it sink in. Ten years he had believed she was dead. Ten years he had spent trying to move on. She had been lying to him for ten years. They had a son. How was any of this possible?

The phone rang again, this time Ricky answered it. When he hung up he told Castle that his Mom was coming to pick him up. Castle turned and looked at his son.

"What exactly has your mother told you about me? About why I haven't been around?"

The ten year old shook his head. "She would never talk about you. If I asked, she would say that I was too young to understand."

"Ricky do you like video games?"

The child nodded.

"My bedroom is through that door." Castle pointed. "How about you go play my Xbox until your Mom gets here? The child obedientaly left to find Castle's gaming console while Castle himself went to his liquor cabinet. It had been a while since his last scotch, but he figured now was as good a time as any. An hour and a half later there was a knock at the door.

* * *

Castle had been pacing up and down his living room for a while and he wasted no time answering the front door. He was a little suprised to find a blonde haired woman on the other side. He studied her for a long moment. Her blonde hair was long and straight; eyes were bright blue instead of the hazel he remembered. But it was her. That much was evident.

"Kate?" He whispered.

She hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry Castle. I'm so sorry. If there had been any other way...you wern't supposed to find out like this."

Castle's body went from relaxed and comfortable to stiff and rigid within seconds. He stepped away from her. "I wasn't supposed to find out at all. I buried you Kate. Ten years ago I buried you. Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" He was angry now. He had every right to be.

"I can't; Castle I'm sorry. We can't be here, I need to get Ricky home where is he? Ricky?!" She called.

"He's in my room playing Xbox, I trust you remember where that is?" He spat snarkily.

Kate marched into his bedroom...their bedroom. It was just as he had left it. "Ricky, come on, we have to go." She switched the television off. "I can't believe you pulled a stunt like this; you are in so much trouble."

"Mom no!" He protested. "I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay here with Dad."

"Ricky no, please don't make this harder than it already is. We are going home." She argued.

"Kate!" Castle cut in.

Ricky looked at his mother with a confused look. "Why did he call you Kate?"

She turned to look at Castle. "It's Nikki now; ok. You can't call me that anymore."

"What the hell is going on?!" He demanded an explanation.

She looked at him with a shocked expression. He was yelling at her.

Castle lowered his voice. "Please...just stay, I can help you, just tell me what's going on." He moved a little closer to her and she hesitated at the intimacy. His anger and confusion melted away. He put his hand to her cheek and lightly caressed it. "Please...please; I can't lose you again." He whispered.


	5. Freelancer

**AN:** Thank you all for the love and support. I'm getting really good feedback. Isn't it amazing how things evolve? This was intended as a oneshot...I'm getting new ideas with where I want to take this with every new chapter. R&R and enjoy :-D

* * *

**08672241**

**Freelancer**

"I can't lose you again." His hand was on her cheek, gentle and loving. The pain in his eyes were clear, he looked like a lost puppy. He was staring at her so intently. Kate decided to give in to him and she fell into his arms; hugging him tightly. Tears fell from her eyes as she did so.

He felt the tears stain his shirt. "What's wrong?"

"We can't stay; it's not safe."

"Safe from who?"

"I can't tell you." She shook her head.

"You leave me little choice then." Before Kate had time to think about it Castle had lifted her up and put her over his shoulder.

"Castle what do you think you are doing? Put me down!" She whacked him with her arms.

"You won't stay here then we'll all go someplace else." He began to walk out of the bedroom. "Ricky get your things."

Kate kept struggling against him all the way out the door and down to the garage. "Castle put me down!" She tried to kick and struggle but Castle was strong.

"You know; for someone trying to keep a low profile, you're not doing a very good job." He mused.

"I mean it! Put me down now!" Her protests were in vain.

He placed her into the passengers seat of his Ferrari. Their ten year old son eagerly jumped into the back. Kate huffed and crossed her arms as their vehicle sped out onto the streets.

"I can't believe that you're kidnapping me."

Castle laughed. "I'd hardly call this kidnapping. Feel free to leave at any time, just open the door and leap right out." He pushed his foot onto the accellerator just a little harder.

"Oh right; very funny." She turned to face the back seat.

"Are you doing ok back there?" She asked their son.

"Mom...what type of question is that? This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. My Dad owns a sports car."

Kate smiled. "Well don't get any ideas; we are not staying, and you are still in trouble Mister."

She turned back to face her husband...wait was that even still relevant? Had he re-married? She glanced down at his left hand. He still wore the band she gave him on their wedding day.

"Where are we going?" She asked him.

"Somewhere far away, where we can talk." He replied.

"You're not giving up on this are you?"

"My wife returns from the dead after ten years with a son that I didn't know about in tow. Damn right I'm not giving up on this." He tried to keep his emotions in check. He was still angry. "Look; you might as well get comfortable or else this is going to be a long two hours."

Two hours? He was taking them to the Hamptons.

* * *

Kate felt herself drifting off to sleep sometime during the next half hour. It never took her long if Castle was driving them. She knew the drive to the Hamptons like the back of her hand; they had done it so many times now. But it was different this time. She wasn't allowed to sleep. She had a son to protect. They, she corrected. They had a son to protect. She whipped her head around to the back seat to find Ricky sleeping. Kate turned back to face the front; insistent on staying awake. Her eyelids grew heavy though. She was one of those people who would use travel to catch up on sleep and it slowly becomes second nature; even when you want to stay awake. She jerked herself upright; this time she really had been sleeping. Castle turned and looked at her.

"How long was I asleep for?" She asked; trying to keep the irratibleness out of her voice.

"Twenty minutes." He replied.

She shook her head. "Don't let me fall asleep ok. Talk or sing or turn the stereo up or something."

"What's the big deal? You always used to sleep in the car."

"Things are different now." She murmered in response. She really was tired.

Castle checked the rear-view. Ricky was sound asleep. "The kid is fine Kate. You're both safe with me; alright? Get some rest. You look like you haven't slept properly in weeks."

Kate sunk back into her seat sulking a little. Castle was right but that didn't mean she had to admit it. Much to her disdain she slept for the rest of the drive.

Once they got inside Ricky was looking around in awe. Castle told him to go and have a look around but not to go outside. That would still keep him busy for a while. He sat Kate down on the sofa.

"Alright; spill. You need to tell me everything. What's going on?"

"Castle I am sorry. You need to know that." She took a deep breath. "This was all supposed to be over a long time ago."

"You're in the witness protection programme aren't you?" He asked gently.

"Yes. But more than that I'm in deep cover working with the FBI. Which is why what I tell you is on a need-to-know basis."

"The FBI?"

"Yes, we've been trying to nail Bracken; but thats become so much harder now that he's the President."

"Huh, I can imagine."

"It's taken ten years. And we're so close now I can feel it. You wern't allowed to know; I wanted so badly to tell you, you were the only person I wanted to tell; so you wouldn't have to grieve. I can't imagine what it was like for you to sit through my funeral. Although I grieved for you aswell. For the life I was leaving behind. I never imagained I'd be gone for ten years."

It was now that Castle realised that she was hurting too. This was hard for her too. "Kate you died in my arms. There was so much blood. I'll never forget it. How did you survive? How did we have a son? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

"Our son is a miracle Castle. I was sure that night that I had lost him. He's incredible, he's so much like you. I hate that you haven't been able to be a part of his life. Keeping you secret from him was one of the hardest things I've ever done."

He took her hand in his. "Go back to the start. Tell me how we got here."

Kate took a deep breath as she began to recount the events of that night...so long ago but still so fresh in her mind. She would never forget.

"I finished work early that day. I'd had enough of paperwork and decided to come home to you. Bracken had men waiting for me outside and their car tailed me. I knew I was being followed so I tried to lose them; but it didn't work. They ran me off the road and took me hostage. I tried to call you but it went straight to voicemail. They took me to that warehouse and they..." She trailed off. Castle squeezed her hand and so she continued. "...it was the worst pain I had ever felt. Worse than being shot. They broke my ribs, my leg, held my head under icy cold water until I wanted to pass out. You called my phone again...Bracken was trying to crush me even more by letting you hear them hit the metal pipe against my bones. He set everything in motion, he knew you would have traced their location. He wanted you to see me die in front of you. The worst part was I couldn't give him the information he wanted...the information never existed. I had lied to him about a file in exchange for my life. He wanted the file. If I had told him the truth he would have killed me anyway. Right when I had lost hope; everything changed."

* * *

Beckett had stopped struggling in her chair. She didn't even try to move. Everything hurt. It hurt to breathe. She looked up and found she was once again alone in the dark room. Then she heard footsteps. They were a woman's step, she could hear the heels cross the room towards her. She looked familiar and yet Beckett was sure she had never seen her before. Beckett closed her eyes. She had had enough. It was then that the woman placed a small device into Beckett's ear. It was a speaker. After a moment she heard the woman's voice in her ear.

"Detective Beckett it's special agent Jordan Shaw from the FBI. I need you to listen to me very carefully." Kate's eyes shot open and tried to focus on the woman in front of her; who was now inspecting Beckett's arms, looking for a vein to inject into. She was dressed as some kind of doctor.

"These men are going to kill you. Right now I am supposed to administer you a drug to keep you alive for another hour, so they can prolong this torture. In reality I have swapped it with something to gradually slow down your vital stats and heart rate. Within the hour you will slowly succumb to your injuries and it will appear that you have died. Or thats what we want them to think. You will go into a comatose state and be revived when you are safely in FBI custody. You will come into witness protection and work with us to stop William Bracken. I need your consent before I do so, squeeze my hand if you understand; there is not much time."

Beckett shook her head frantically. Witness protection? No...Castle; she would never see him again.

"You are going to die; Detective. Please let me help you."

Kate grasped Agent Shaw's hand and she quickly admininstered the needle into her arm.

"This will all feel very real; but do not be afraid; we will see you on the other side."

Jordan turned and walked away from her. She was all alone again. She let her head fall to her chest as she passed out again. Kate was awoken again by a sharp pain in her chest. There was a different man towering over her and she gasped as she saw the knife imbedded in her skin. The pain was much less than it should have been...perhaps Shaw's drugs were working. The man pulled the knife out and Kate felt blood seep from the wound. How much could the human body endure before it shut down? It was then that she heard the roller door being rattled. She could hear shouts, and guns being fired. She heard the faint "NYPD!" being called. They were finally here...they could help her. She summoned all the strength she had left and yelled.

"Somebody help me..."

"Kate is that you?" She knew that voice.

"Castle...I'm in here please!" She begged him. She looked up at the man standing over her and managed to form a smile. "They're going to take you down." She managed to utter to him...her voice barely above a whisper.

The man grinned. "You first."

He slashed the ropes that had bound her to the chair. Her body was on fire where the ropes had cut her skin. The man threw her to the floor and stood over her again brandishing the knife. He stabbed it into her skin, over and over again; holding her up by what was left of her shirt collar. If she hadn't of felt the blood she might not have believed it. Everything was getting tighter and tighter; colder; but she couldn't feel much pain from the knife. She gasped when the knife connected with her kidney. She couldn't believe she was still alive. Those were some good drugs. As long as her heart kept pumping she would be fine; she reasoned with herself. She felt the man drop her to the floor and noted that he had run off. That could only mean one thing. Her hands instictively grasped her wounds on her side; trying to compress the blood. Castle stood over her. She couldn't believe he was finally here.

"Everything's going to be ok, I promise, we've got you now..."

"Castle..." She moaned. She felt the blood rush to her head and started coughing it up from her lips. This was it. She was really dying. If this was the drugs talking it all felt far too real.

"Shhh...there's an ambulance outside, it's going to be ok."

"Rick...I love you..." She had to tell him.

"No Kate, don't you dare say your goodbyes this isn't over. Just hold on..." He kissed the top of her head.

"Just hold me..." Kate was so happy to see him one last time.

"Everything's going to be alright, I promise." She could feel his tears on her hair as they ran down his cheeks. She wasn't allowed to tell him about Jordan; she knew that; but she had to tell him something.

"I wish...that you could take me someplace safe, like you always wanted to. Where they can't find me." It was cryptic; but it was the best she could come up with. He had used the same phrase on her once before. Castle had wished he had been back in the library...and that was where she had found him. She wanted him to know that she was going somewhere safe; that it was all going to be ok.

"Kate, I love you, please...just hold on, Kate...I love you so much...I always will." Kate could feel herself turning cold. Castle was stroking her face with one hand. She smiled as she closed her eyes for the last time.

* * *

Castle stared at Kate as she recounted the story to him. She had tears on her cheeks as she thought back to that night. "I honestly wasn't sure at that point if I would wake up again; like Jordan had promised me. I don't think she had planned for someone to take to me with a knife. I honestly thought I was dying; but at the same time; I hoped I would wake up."

"But your injuries...Kate there was no way you could have survived that."

"I know. Once I was in the ambulance they took me to a hospital, and straight into surgery. They gave me a kidney transplant and I emptied their blood bank. Most of the stab wounds were only superficial. Thankfully my assailant aimed high. He missed the womb entirely. When the surgeons realised that I was pregnant they thought Ricky didn't have a hope in hell in making it. Not when I was on deaths doorstep myself. But he pulled through. A miracle. When I woke up a few days later Jordan debriefed me. I begged her to tell you about me; that I would be back as soon as we'd caught Bracken; but even I knew that's not how it works."

"So Nikki Rodgers?"

"Mhmm. It's not rocket science to figure out how I came up with that Alias."

"You took my mother's name."

"Yes...I wanted to retain as much of who I am as I could. Although it took a lot of getting used to being called Nikki all the time. And then when I had Ricky...there was no other name that fit. I hoped we wern't far off coming home once he was born but...sometimes things just don't work out."

"So did he ever ask about me?"

"All the time. I told him that you love him very much but we can't all be together; that by being apart you're keeping us safe." Kate smiled at the memory. "He has a friend in school whose Dad is in the armed forces. That helped him understand. Although I'm sure when he was really young he was convinced you were a superhero." Kate's voice broke and she started to tear up again. "I'm so sorry Rick; you've missed so much. I've taken so many photos and videos hoping you would see them."

Castle moved to her from across the sofa and drew her into his arms. "Everything's ok now; we're all together."

"Castle..." She protested.

"You are safe here." He repeated.

She broke out of his arms. "We can't stay; you know that. You need to pretend that this never happened."

"You know I can't do that." Castle sighed. "Talk to Agent Shaw, tell her to let me in. I can help you catch him. We've all worked together before."

"The rat has slipped through our fingers so many times. If he gets one incling that I'm alive...he's even more dangerous now. He has the whole White House and Secret Service behind him."

"I'm not afraid of him. And I'm not willing to let you go; or our son." Castle pressed. He was determined.

Kate sat and thought about it for a moment. She had given up ten years of her life for this endless pursuit. Ten years her son had grown up with only one parent. Bracken had taken so much from her; was it wrong that she wanted to be selfish now?

"I'll call Shaw."

"Thank you." He breathed in relief.

"But no promises Castle; she won't like this."

Kate stood up and found her phone to make the call while Castle went off to find which room his son had got lost in. Kate dialled the number; pressed the correct number sequence to connect her to her handler and then used her codename to be allowed access. When Jordan Shaw picked up she did not sound impressed.

"You're late checking in; Freelancer."

"I know; I'm sorry. We have a situation."


End file.
